McDyess' play was typical of an unselfish second half in which the Spurs had 12 assists on 18 baskets.

“I saw Matt wide open, and when I see him out there, I want to get it to him if I possibly can, even if I'm open myself,” McDyess said. “If he's open, there's a 50 percent chance he's going to knock down a three, and that was a big shot for us.”

Bonner, whose 50 percent 3-point shooting ranks fourth in the NBA, had been stymied by a Hawks defensive scheme designed to minimize his long-distance looks.

“It was apparent from the start they weren't going to leave me on the 3-line,” he said. “They were helping on me and I was trying all my tricks to get open looks, but they would not suck in and leave me. So I'll take that assist by ‘Dice.' It was nice.”

McDyess has been in the NBA for 14 seasons. Never, he said, has he seen better ball movement than the Spurs have displayed this season.

“Ooh, it's been like the Globetrotters,” he said. “We're moving that ball so well, and it's fun to watch. I've never ever been on a team where the ball moves like we've been moving it, or even seen it, except maybe in Europe.

“They move the ball like that, but in the NBA, I haven't seen it.”

When they count: The Spurs went into Friday's game having made 79.6 percent of their free throws this season, but through the first three quarters they had made only 7 of 15 foul shots, 46.7 percent.

They atoned for their rare display of free throw masonry by making 9 of 10 in the fourth period, when they outscored the Hawks 37-23.

“It made it tougher on us,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of the subpar shooting in the first three periods. “We had opportunities at the line and obviously didn't take advantage of it. But down the stretch, we did a much better job.”